Jared Brigmon wasn’t kidding his fiancée, Misty Maurer, when he said he needed her help carrying her Christmas present home. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune , Brigmon planned his Christmas surprise for weeks and was thrilled that it surprised Maurer.
Maurer and her daughters are loyal customers of a store in St. Cloud’s Crossroads Mall called “Bling.” The store specializes in women’s shoes and accessories. Maurer heard a few weeks ago that the owner, Joy Brandt, was looking to sell the store. Brandt had opened Bling less than two years ago. She hadn’t planned to move on so soon, reports CBS Minnesota .
“I found out that I had a brain tumor, so the biggest thing they had told me was to get rid of the stress in your life,” she said. She is going to take it easy while she waits to see if doctors can operate.
A couple weeks ago, she got a call from Brigmon, who was looking to make Christmas bright for Misty — his fiancée. Brigmon purchased the store from Brandt and kept the pending purchase secret for weeks. The sale was finalized on Tuesday.
“When I first heard about it I thought it was a joke,” Brandt said. “He said this was her favorite store and he wanted to buy it for her and give it as a Christmas present.”
“I’ve had that feeling of success and being able to, you know, give them things. So I just wanted her to feel that,” Brigmon said.
Brigmon planned the surprise with the help of Brandt. “I was trying to trick her and figure out how to get her out of the house,” he said. “I told her there’s a present I had to pick up.”
Christmas Eve day they piled the kids into the family car and drove to Crossroads Mall. When they arrived, Brigmon gave Maurer a box. Inside was a small key to a store and the start to a big dream. “He’s amazing,” Maurer said. “I can’t believe he pulled it off in the time he did. And it still brings me to tears.”
Brigmon went above and beyond with this year’s present says Maurer. She says the real gift, though, will be showing her daughters that behind the glitz and glamour of owning her own store will be a hardworking and determined woman shining on her own.
“This will help me show them that,” Maurer said.
According to CBS Minnesota , Maurer will officially take over the store in February, and will learn the ropes this month. But Brandt says she’s more than happy to come back and help out any time.
After the surprise wore off, one of Maurer’s daughters asked: “Do we get everything for free now?”
[Image via CBS Minnesota]
